The monument was designed by Viollet-le-Duc, with the bronze statues the handwork of artists:

Antoine-Louis Barye,

Petit,

Gabriel Thomas, and

Maillet.

1865 was the year when the monument was revealed to the public, and at the time a placate was added to it, reading:

“To the memory of Napoleon and his brothers, grateful Corsica. This monument was build during the reign of Napoleon III under the direction of Prince Napoléon-Jérôme with donations, and revealed May 15th 1865”.

A small scandal happened on the day of the monument’s revealing, when Prince Napoléon-Jérôme gave a speech, where he heavily criticized the emperor’s way of governing France.

Due to the scandal, the Prince had to resign as a council to the emperor, and also from his position of a director for the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle.